As a brand, we’ve always been all about human connection. When there are people around you who are in need, keeping these connections strong can go a long way, and even the little things can make a big difference. Over the past couple of months, our team members have made all kinds of thoughtful gestures to support and uplift their communities, putting smiles on the faces of as many people as possible.
So, how about we shine a light on what they’ve accomplished so far? Here’s how our amazing team has helped the communities around them.
Care Jars & Cupcakes
Creativity and kindness often go hand-in-hand, and this is no exception. Anne, a team member from our Laura store at CF Promenades St-Bruno, spent time making small jars of support for residents at a nearby retirement home. These care jars contained bars of scented soaps, inspirational quotes, and even jokes for a dose of humour. Meanwhile, Amy from our store in Kingston made rainbow cupcakes for the healthcare team at Waterford Retirement Facility. Both of these are such crafty and beautiful ways to spend time indoors showing love & care for others!
Easter Baskets
The Laura team is as devoted as ever to being there for our people and their families, and on top of this, we’re incredibly grateful for the work that healthcare professionals are doing to keep us safe. One of our Calgary team members has two young nieces whose parents—both frontline workers—tested positive for COVID-19 in the time leading up to Easter. We wanted to make Easter special for them despite these difficult circumstances, so we sent them Easter baskets, spring flowers, and chocolates. We hope that it helped to spark a bit of joy, even in such a challenging moment.
Protective Masks
As we’ve noted in our recent blog on uplifting community movements across the web, there are many thousands of volunteer mask makers doing their part across Canada. With frontline workers experiencing shortages of protective equipment, they need all the help they can get, even if it’s non-medical grade fabric masks. Shannon, a Laura team member who lives in Calgary, recently joined the Mask Makers YYC group we mentioned in our blog. She has joined them in making masks with fabric generously donated by the community. They even managed to make 1,000 masks in one week!
Food & Reusable Shopping Bags
Food banks are among the most important types of community organizations out there, as they’re depended upon by countless people in need. Last month, Natalie-Andrée and Lyane from our visual and marketing team made a trip to the Moisson Laval food bank. They donated both essential food items and 1,000 reusable Laura shopping bags. Meanwhile, Michelle—our store manager at Laura St. Laurent in Ottawa—volunteered at St. Vincent Paul food bank in Gatineau. She took time to help them put together food donations for those in need, while donating reusable Laura shopping bags as well!
Essential Clothing
In Sudbury, a customer of ours and her family recently lost everything in a house fire. Kerry, the manager of our Laura location at RioCan Centre, took the initiative to help make a difference in their lives. She reached out to the family and invited them to the store, providing them with several essential clothing items to help get them through such a difficult challenge. The customer was kind enough to respond, “I cannot thank her enough or this wonderful company that she works for, for the wonderful generosity shown to my daughter and myself.” We’re humbled and honoured that they accepted our help!
Coat Donations Across Canada
The Calgary Drop-In Centre is an amazing organization that provides food, lodging, counselling, medical care, and other crucial resources to individuals and families in need. Our team members Erinn and Sharon joined in by donating coats, scarfs, gloves, and sweaters to the Centre in April. We’ve since partnered with six other organizations across Canada for coat donations: Cita d’elle and Sun Youth in Montreal, Women and Children’s Shelter of Barrie in Ontario, The Women’s Residence in Toronto, and North End Women’s Centre and NorWest Co-op Community Health in Winnipeg.
The Laura Cares Initiative
Last but certainly not least is the Laura Cares initiative. From the beginning, the goal of Laura Cares has been to help care for our customers who are elderly and most affected by the pandemic. Our team members have been there for them to carry out grocery runs, check in on them for a chat, help them place an online order, and most importantly, prevent the loneliness that can come with physical distancing and isolation. For these customers, it’s become more important than ever to have the support of their communities, and the Laura family has been there to provide just that.
Considering everything they’ve done and will continue to do during this difficult and uncertain time, we’ve never been more proud of the Laura team than we are today. Thank you all!